Mother and daughter killed in Encinitas bluff collapse

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ENCINITAS, Calif. — Two of the three victims in Friday’s deadly cliff collapse in the Leucadia neighborhood of Encinitas were identified Saturday as a mother and daughter.

The women were identified as Julie Davis, 65, and Anne Clave, 35, according to the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office. The identity of the third victim, who died at the scene, has not been released pending notification of relatives.

Clave, from Encinitas, died at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla on Friday. Davis died at Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas, also on Friday.

The bluff failure happened shortly before 3 p.m. Friday just north of a lifeguard station, Encinitas fire and lifeguard officials said at a news conference Saturday morning.

Officials reopened Grandview Surf Beach before noon Saturday with signs posted to the north and south of the cliff collapse asking the public to keep out of the “active area,” Lifeguard Capt. Larry Giles said.

City officials recommended that “given the apparent natural bluff instability, beachgoers should avoid areas near or under the bluffs and keep a recommended safe distance of 25 to 40 feet.”

Four search dogs went through the site of the collapse late Friday and officials determined that no more people had been found, Encinitas Fire Deputy Chief Robert Ford said.

Two people walked away uninjured after the collapse, Giles said.

A lifeguard was in the tower next to the site of the cliff collapse and immediately began to rescue victims. Some good Samaritans helped the lifeguard in the rescue effort, Giles said. The lifeguard tower has since been moved away from the part of the cliff that collapsed.

Experts in geology will continue assessing the coastline for any potential collapse threats. Geotech soil engineers said Friday’s failure was an isolated incident, Giles said, and unrelated to the recent earthquakes in Southern California. The failure isn’t affecting structures at the top of the cliffs, he said.

“Our coastline is a beautiful area, but the coastline is eroding,” Giles said.